Asian hornet: France cracks down with €3m ‘damage control’ plan

France is stepping up its response to Asian hornets with a €3 million strategy aimed at limiting the impact of the invasive species, which was first identified in the country in 2004 and has since spread nationwide.

Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition Mathieu Lefèvre announced the plan on April 27, which is set to begin on May 1. 

The plan is part of a six-year national control strategy first launched in March 2025, and will offer financial support to beekeepers and local authorities. It aims to help them to protect beehives, and to destroy Asian hornet nests.

Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) first came to France in 2004. Considered to be an invasive species, they have now destroyed nearly a quarter of the country’s honeybee population, and have spread to all regions, including Corsica.

In contrast, the European hornet is often seen as a positive influence on gardens, as it helps to control some damaging insects.

Mr Lefèvre heard from professional beekeepers ahead of announcing the fund. Astride Didier, a beekeeper in Nothalten (Bas-Rhin, Grand Est), told him: “Our hives were decimated. We formed a collective to fight against its spread.”

However, she said that fighting the Asian hornet was an extra ‘volunteer’ job that did not form part of core beekeeping work. It added pressure and financial strain to the business, she told newspaper La Dépêche.

From May 1 until the end of the year, authorities and beekeeping groups will be able to submit their applications on the Aides-territoires government funding platform. Up to €10,000 per application will be available, and must be put towards Asian hornet traps, nest destroying methods, and beehive protection. It can also be used for training and research. 

The government has said that it is open to adjusting or increasing the fund based on feedback from future beneficiaries, but Mr Lefèvre was candid about the project’s potential.

“We must be realistic: it is impossible to eradicate them at this stage,” he said. “[However], we can curb the damage.” 

Local initiatives

Such is the devastation wreaked by the Asian hornet, that many individual towns and communes are also stepping up efforts against it.

In Cambrésis (Nord, Hauts-de-France), beekeeper Patrice Marion is seeking to set up a permanent support centre through which members of the public can alert authorities to the presence of the hornets, and work together to destroy their nests.

“This year, we’ll be working at full pelt against them,” he told local newspaper La Voix du Nord.

A further commune increasing anti-hornet measures is Bouvron (Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire). Here combating the hornet is important not only for beekeepers, but is also “an essential lever for protecting the environment”, the local mairie told newspaper Ouest France.

Authorities are working both with local associations – including environment and agriculture group le Groupement de défense sanitaire de Loire-Atlantique (GDS44) – and volunteers at the municipal beehives to set up traps, destroy nests, and protect beehives.

Similarly, the town of Grandchamp-des-Fontaines (also in Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire) began implementing anti-hornet measures in February, in preparation for the spring and summer seasons.

To be most effective, traps should be installed from February to mid-May, so as to capture the hive queens. This ensures that there will be fewer hives come spring, and even fewer in summer, resulting in a reduction of thousands of hornets.

Hornets can spread more easily in mild, wet weather – which was plentiful earlier this year across much of France.

“Above-average temperatures in early March certainly played a part [in their spread],” said Jacques Dallibert, a beekeeper in Grandchamp-des-Fontaines, to Ouest France. “Cold weather might force them back indoors, but some have already started building their nests, and egg-laying has begun. That will force them to go out, no matter the weather.”

Many mairies in communes across France have started their own initiatives against the hornet, including offering free (or subsidised) traps for residents, in addition to tips and advice on how to capture the insects. 

Homemade traps can also be made, with a mixture of one-third beer, one-third red wine, and one-third blackcurrant syrup. Red wine is particularly attractive to hornets, but repels important insects and other animals such as bees. 

Keen gardeners can also plant trees and other plants designed to repel hornets, and conversely, avoid trees that attract them.